I'm back! Thank you all for your patience – my holiday was manic! No way could I have managed an update! Back to regular scheduled updates now!

I apologise for not getting to review replies – I'm sure you all know fanfic hasn't been working for the last few days so I've not been able to get to them. I read and loved every single one!

As always thank you to Iris, Pattinlethr, Sparklymeg and MidnightCougar for their help in making this worth reading.

Chapter 11

Maggie's Flowersis a small, independent florist downtown, which is owned by an older lady who's fueled by her passion for all things floral. She's produced some of the most stunning arrangements I've seen, yet most of my competitors, and some of the bigger hotels, refuse to acknowledge her as a supplier purely because she isn't a chain or a "high class" florist. To me, she's one of the best and a hidden gem among the industry. I don't care where she came from or where her store is based; she was kind to me when I first started out, and I won't ever forget that.

The bell chimes above the door, which signals our arrival. Edward closes it behind us, his arm brushing against mine as he does. Our eyes meet briefly before a soft giggle catches my attention. I turn around in time to see Maggie pushing past the curtains that lead to her workshop.

"Bella?"

"Maggie." I smile, stepping closer to give her a hug. "It's so good to see you again. Thank you for letting us come after hours."

"Of course. Come back through to my workshop. I was just finishing the sample arrangements for you." She steps around me and smiles at Edward, who's lingering behind me. "You must be Edward. I'm Maggie."

"Hello, Maggie." He steps forward to shake her hand, stumbling when she pulls him in for a hug. I bite back a laugh as he looks up in slight alarm.

He recovers quickly and steps back. "Thank you again for seeing us. My fiancée can be quite… demanding."

Maggie rolls her eyes, making me laugh. "Please. This is nothing. One late night and some photos to be emailed to a bride do not make a bridezilla."

"Don't count on it," I mutter. But it's only loud enough for her to hear, because we're walking to where she has the arrangements set up for us to view. She tuts at me but can't hide her smile.

"Maggie…" I gasp. "These are beautiful. I don't know how Tanya's going to be able to choose between them."

"I agree. She's going to love them all." Edward steps closer to them, running his fingers across the petals. My eyes follow the movement, and I feel my cheeks heat as I imagine him touching me with the same delicacy.

I clear my throat, forcing myself to look away. "Edward, did you bring your camera?"

His stare lingers for a few moments before he nods and takes his camera from his pocket.

"So... um… What exactly are these arrangements?" He smiles sheepishly. "Unless they're red roses, I'm not really a flower person."

Maggie chuckles. "Such a man," she mock-scolds him. She takes him by the arm, going into depth about each of the arrangements. I step back to the front of the shop and pull up my notes for the wedding. Maggie has some beautiful arrangements made at Tanya's requests, but based on what Edward said about only knowing red roses, my guess is she'll choose them.

Minutes later, Maggie appears with Edward following behind her. "All done, dear."

I smile. "You're a star. Thank you." I turn to Edward. "You have everything you need?"

He nods. "Yeah. I feel bad, though. That's a lot of work, and I pretty much know she's going to pick roses. They're her favorite. I don't know why she'd need to ask for different options."

"It's her wedding. She maybe wants to branch out."

He shrugs. "I doubt it. It's roses or jewelry with Tanya."

I refrain from rolling my eyes. Of course it is.

"You'll let me know what centerpieces she decides on?" Maggie asks, looking at me.

"I will. Edward will email her the photos of each one. As soon as she gets back to us, I'll phone to let you know."

She smiles. "Thanks, Bella. Oh, wait." She goes back to her workshop, returning with one of the arrangements. "I know how much you like orchids, and they'll just go to waste here."

I grin, taking them from her. "They're stunning. Thank you. I'll be in touch."

She walks us to the door, opening it for us. "It was great seeing you. We need to arrange for dinner soon, Bella. And nice meeting you, Edward."

Edward and I say goodbye, stepping out into the chilly Chicago air. I pull my coat tight around me and breathe in the flowers.

"She likes you."

I turn to Edward, who steps close. His eyes are intense as he gazes at me.

"I like her, too. She helped me out when I was struggling. She couldn't have been any nicer, really. And she's a lovely person who just happens to be amazing at her job. She doesn't have a lot of family, and those she does have don't live in the city, so we meet up and go to dinner sometimes. I think she just craves companionship."

"That's nice…"

I choke out a laugh. "That's nice?"

"I mean… Well, she seems like your family, and you're so carefree together. It's refreshing to see." He takes a step closer again. I should step away, but I don't. "Have you had dinner, yet?"

"No."

"Would you like to have dinner with me?"

I should say no.

"Yes."

ooOoo

We take a short walk and come across a cute diner. The sign flashes a simple "Diner" above the door, and looking through the windows, I can see stereotypical red and white-checked tablecloths and large booths.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Edward eyes the place with an unsure look on his face. "There's a nice restaurant close by…"

I shake my head, holding back a laugh. For some reason, I can't see Miss Socialite dining somewhere like this. "This is perfect."

"There really is a nice restaurant not too far from here…"

I can only imagine the type of place Edward's thinking of. The thought of being in a romantic restaurant with him both thrills and terrifies me.

"You're trying to avoid me."

I sigh. "No, Edward, I'm not. I'm trying to keep things professional. We both haven't had dinner, and this place is exactly what we need: a place to have a simple meal." I turn to face him. "Why would you want to take me to a fancy restaurant?"

He looks abashed. "It's more private," he admits.

"And that's why this is perfect."

The hostess seats us in a booth at the back of the restaurant and leaves us with our menus.

"I can't remember the last time I was in a place like this." He takes in the menu with a smile on his face. "It's a nice change."

"Tanya wouldn't like to eat here?" I guess.

He barks out a laugh, a full one that makes me smile and turns the heads of some of the people sitting close to us. "You've met Tanya, right? Could you see Tanya Turner, Chicago's most elite socialite and model, eating..." He glances at the menu. "…a chili cheese dog with onions and mustard?"

I giggle, trying to picture it and loving that I was right about her. "No. You're right."

He grins at me. "I'm going to make the most of it. You're not the kind of girl to judge me for ordering a burger and doubling up by ordering extra onion rings, are you?"

I shake my head. "Only if you don't share said onion rings."

His grin widens, and my heart does a somersault at being the cause of it. "Of course."

The waitress returns, interrupting our fun, and I want to kiss and kill her at the same time. It's so easy being with Edward that I forget he isn't mine to have fun with.

Edward, true to his word, orders a burger and doubles up, ordering a side portion of onion rings. The waitress then turns to me, and I try to bite back my smile. After what he said earlier, there's only one thing I'm going to order.

"A chili cheese dog with onions and mustard, please."

Edward laughs softly but continues to watch me, even after our server leaves. When he doesn't look away, I begin to fidget under his scrutiny.

"What?" I finally ask.

"You continue to surprise me."

I grin. "Good."

ooOoo

We stay at the diner until closing, both of us enjoying the night more than we should. I learn about his family and how he visits his mom as much as he can. Due to work commitments now, he can only making the trip on Sunday afternoons. His brother's only eighteen months older, lives upstate with his wife, and has a baby on the way. I watch him as he tells me about his family, and I hate the wistful look I see there. I want to ask him if he'll have any of that with Tanya, but I decide I don't want to know.

"Do you see much of Emmett?" I ask.

He shrugs non-committedly. "Not as often as I'd like. He has his hands full with his business and the pregnancy. We talk on the phone, though."

"Was he who you were with that night at the bar?"

He chuckles. "Yeah. Huge and loud. You couldn't have missed him."

I grin, remembering the big guy with Edward who seemed to be buying all the drinks and cheering him on.

"He seemed happy for you."

Edward sighs. "He is… was…"

I look at him, confused. "What do you mean was?"

He clears his throat and reaches across the table. Part of me thinks he's reaching for my hands, but at the last moment, he retracts them. "I… uh… Well, he saw us that night at the bar and knew something happened. I denied it, but after we spoke and when I couldn't get you to talk to me about it, I went to him for advice."

"What did he say?" My breath catches in my throat, and I find myself leaning over the table.

This time, he does take my hand. His touch is so gentle that it sends goosebumps up my arm. "He told me to quit, if I wanted, that we'd find another way to support Mom."

His words hang over the table between us as we both process what he's said. My heart takes off in a flutter as I allow myself to think of him leaving his job and Tanya. When I finally look up at Edward, I see he's watching me.

"He's supportive that way."

"That's... nice," I say softly, breaking the tense atmosphere. We grin and say nothing further on the subject.

Instead, Edward turns the conversation to me. He asks about my family and what brought me to Chicago. I tell him about my wish to get away from Forks as soon as I could, that the small town life is perfect for my parents but not for me. I never felt like I fit in, and I always wanted more. After school, I closed my eyes, picked a point on the map, and left.

"You never regretted it?"

I think back to the start, to my tiny studio apartment in the rough part of town, the cheap microwave meals for dinner, and the weekends of non-stop work.

"Nope. I mean, it was tougher than I thought it'd be, but I love it. If I'd stayed close to Mom and Dad, I probably would've given up a lot sooner and moved back home. Being so far away made it easier to keep going."

"And your parents? They don't mind that you're so far away."

I laugh, remembering when I told them. "My dad totally freaked out. He had this life planned out for me. He thought I would stay in Forks, marry his best friend's son, and work a part-time job while raising our kids." I make a face at the thought, which makes him laugh. "My mom encouraged me. As much as she loves my dad, I think part of her wishes they'd traveled a bit before settling down. She's a big city girl trapped in a small town."

"They still support you, though?"

I nod. "Definitely. They just want me to be happy."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

I shake my head. "Just me. Jess is more like a sister than a friend, though."

His smile slowly fades at the mention of her name.

"She's just protective," I explain with a soft simile.

He nods and looks over my shoulder. "We should go. The waitress doesn't look exactly happy with us."

I turn and giggle. She's all but sitting with her jacket on. "You're right." We both stand, and I blush a little as Edward helps with my jacket. Our fingers brush, and his hand lingers longer than necessary at the base of my neck.

He leans down as I shiver. "Cold?"

"Yes." The lie slips easily from my lips.

I'm a confused mess as we leave the diner. My fingers still tingle from our touch, and my heart pounds every time I catch him stealing a glance in my direction.

Even later on, when I'm alone in bed, my cheek still burns from the soft, sweet goodnight kiss he placed there after only a moment's hesitation.

Although we managed to avoid the romantic restaurant, I still feel as though I've been on the best date ever.

ooOoo

Thank you for reading – I'd love to know your thoughts!

Fic Rec: The Fall by MissWinkles - She's got a bulletproof heart but he's got a hollow point smile. He's a gathering storm. A spark in the darkness. A bruised heart just waiting to happen. At rock bottom, Bella Swan has nowhere to fall but everything to lose.